Patient Engagement Initiatives in Clinical Trials: Recent Trends and Implications

Area of Science:

• Clinical Research
• Patient Engagement Strategies

Background:

• Increasing complexity in clinical trial protocols and narrowing patient populations pose recruitment and retention challenges.
• Patient engagement and retention are critical for trial success.
• Technological and supportive solutions are being developed to address these challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey clinical trial participants regarding the prevalence and impact of convenience-enhancing solutions.
• To examine patient perceptions of these solutions and changes since 2017.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 12,451 responses from a global online survey conducted in 2019.
• Focus on respondents who utilized convenience-enhancing solutions during their trial participation.

Main Results:

• The prevalence of convenience-enhancing solutions is rising.
• Use of these solutions correlates with higher clinical trial satisfaction ratings.
• Use of these solutions correlates with higher ratings for care and attention received.

Conclusions:

• Reducing participation barriers and improving retention require diverse strategies.
• Convenience-enhancing solutions effectively reduce barriers to clinical trial participation.
• These solutions show popularity among under-represented populations, offering opportunities for increased engagement.